Nike was doing a series on worldwide directors by country. They were having trouble finding a French director and contacted us. Vincent got in touch with Godard.
Voila!
I have no idea what the agency expected. Godard was always an iconoclast. It would be interesting to see what Godard would do and at that time Nike was interested in breaking rules.
I awaited the story since we had set up the relationship.
Silence.
I watched the program that featured the various commercials, but no Godard.
The agency was silent.
Time goes by (maybe years?).
I finally see the commercial and hear a version of the story (from an unnamed source who, at the time of this writing, is still embarrassing pain at the advertising agency).
The plot: Death is chasing a little girl and a man that I suppose is her father, but these days, who knows. They avoid death as they are wearing Nike sneakers and death isn’t.
The story:
The agency folk arrive in Paris and are given instructions on where to meet Godard for the filming. They get there and Godard isn’t at that location (a restaurant). They find out where he is supposed to be filming and when they get there, they find that Godard has already finished and has left. They never meet him. The completed film arrives at the agency a while later. It’s not quite what they had expected but then it is Godard.